GOP winner of Indiana House primary died in March

It’s unclear who will represent the Republican party in the race for Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, as the winner of the party’s primary Tuesday night died earlier this year.

Rep. André Carson (D) currently represents Indiana’s 7th District, which is forecast to be a “safe” seat for Democrats in the upcoming 2024 House elections. Carson won reelection in 2022 with more than 66 percent of the vote, according to state election results.

Jennifer Pace, who won Tuesday’s GOP primary for the seat by 1.3 percent, according to election results from Decision Desk HQ, died in March of a heart attack at age 59, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Republican party officials will find a replacement for Pace via a caucus, according to the Star. The second-place finisher in the GOP primary was Army Lt. Catherine Ping, who received 30 percent of the vote. She has unsuccessfully run numerous times for the seat, per the Star.

In an emailed statement to The Hill, Indiana Republican Party press secretary Griffin Reid said “the official results for the Republican Primary in CD-7 are not required to be certified by the Indiana Election Division until noon on May 24, 2024.”

“Once the Indiana Republican Party receives official notice from the Indiana Election Division of a ballot vacancy, we would then have 30 days from date of notice to fill the vacancy,” Reid added.

According to a Ballotpedia candidate survey, Pace’s platform included limiting government interference, parental rights, and addressing inflation.

“As mother of three, it’s been important to impart the values of humanity that account for our freedom and rights upon our next generations,” she wrote. Pace was also a GOP candidate for the seat in 2022, when she won 12 percent of the primary vote, finishing in third place, the Star reported.

Carson first won the House seat in a special election in 2008 to replace his grandmother, longtime Rep. Julia Carson (D), after she died. At the time, he was the second Muslim to be elected to Congress.

Former President Trump won Indiana’s GOP presidential primary Tuesday, per Decision Desk HQ, but former United Nations ambassador and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley garnered 21.7 percent of the vote, despite dropping out of the race more than two months ago.

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